Perfect Sense
by wolfieXchica19
Summary: Year 3030. Everyone is flawless. Except her. She is one of the Secrets, but works for the WWPO. She gets found out and falls into the Meiji Era because of the time machine her dad built where things happened that she never imagined would! Two OC pairings
1. A Perfect Society

Nori: Hey guys! New fic time!

Tama: You do know, that you now will have three main fics going on at once plus Anime Chaos…

Nori: I know, but I need a bit of a break off of those 'cause I don't want to stop them and I need to find more good ideas.

Tama: Good luck with that…

Nori: THANK YOU! Anyways, this will be a Rurouni Kenshin fic, I have a Naruto one and YYH one, so RK it is this time!

Tama: YAY! Who should do the disclaimer today?

Nori: Well, this will have a Sano pairing…so SANOSUKE! It's all you!

Sanosuke: (is eating a fish, looks up with it hanging out of his mouth) Agh, what? What do I have to do?

Nori: Disclaimer! DO IT NOW!

Tama: (whispers) You would do it, if you knew what's good for you.

Sanosuke: (jumps up) Ah…Nori does not own Rurouni Kenshin or the characters, but she does own all the OC's and ideas…(goes back to eating fish)

Nori: YAY! READ!

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Perfection. That's what everything is about. Being flawless.

I'll tell you the truth about it though; it's just plain boring. Everyone is so perfect; nothing differentiates one person from the next.

All the women either look like porn stars or models. Bleach blonde hair, double D chests, and tall, slender bodies. Men all are body builders or soldiers. Tall, muscular, and dark features.

I guess it isn't their fault though, I mean a lot of them grew up this way. The world, or Japan at least, has been like this since I can remember. But, then, I'm only sixteen years old.

My Oma, though, she told me about the days where everyone was different. Everyone had flaws that made them unique. She said that this perfection thing started when she was ten years old, so she can remember it vividly.

She also said that she remembers when the W.W.P.O., or World Wide Perfection Organization, came around. This organization started in Japan and spread throughout the whole world like wild fire.

People in the W.W.P.O. are trained soldiers, stronger than any army out there. They are high ranking and usually are born into the position. Their job is to annihilate anyone who is born as an Imperfect.

You're probably wondering how one is classified as Perfect or Imperfect. It's really simple actually, and quite shallow.

If you are born as a Perfect girl you have blonde hair and bright blue eyes. You usually grow up to be around 5'8" to 5'11". You're skin is pale and blemish free for most of your life. They don't count preteen and early teenage years because of puberty and all that shit. Girl's chest size must be in between size C and DD. Not any bigger and not any smaller. Waist size in for junior sizes are from a 3 to a 9, for women's is from a 5 to 10. A perfect girl's shoe size usually doesn't matter, but most range from 6 to 10.

A Perfect male is born with dark brown to black hair and brown or hazel eyes. They grow to be six feet or taller. Men usually have tanner skin than women and are very muscular. Most of them need to be because many work either in the military or for the W.W.P.O. Waist size for men doesn't matter, as long as they are muscular and not flabby. Shoes have to be from an 8 to about a 12.

All perfects must be of only one ethnicity. A person cannot be two different races. All Africans must stay in their race, all Hispanics, all British, all German, all Korean, all Japanese, and ect. If someone is born with to parents of different ethnic backgrounds they are usually killed.

There are exceptions to these rules though. Some girls are born with dark hair; some boys are born with light colored eyes. They are never killed though; the W.W.P.O. sometimes never finds them. These people are called Secrets. They are born as an Imperfect but are never caught or killed so their families have to keep them secret. Secrets always live their lives in absolute fear and danger. They could be killed at any second.

I am one of the Secrets. To make my life even more dangerous though, I work for the W.W.P.O.

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Nori: Dun, dun, dun! (holds up stereo playing dramatic music)

Tama: That chapter was extremely short.

Nori: Yes, I know, but I wanted to make it like this to kinda set the mood for more chapters.

Tama: Whatever you say dude, it was very good though, I'm impressed.

Nori: Thank you, thank you! Anyways, read and review guys! Tell me what you think so far.

Tama: Try not to flame, please!


	2. The Kill

Nori: Here we go with chapter two!

Tama: YAY!

Nori: YAY!

Tama: Disclaimer?

Nori: YOU!

Tama: (sighs…) Nori doesn't own Rurouni Kenshin or the characters but she does own all the OC's and ideas!

Nori: READ!!!!!

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She ran silently through the dark streets, her weapon in hand. All of her senses were alert. She was ready for this fight.

Dressed in all black to blend in with the night she continued to run. She felt like a wild animal, chasing its prey.

She stopped as she came to a corner of a building. She pressed her back against the wall and peeked around the corner, making sure none of his friends were waiting to attack her.

Once she was aware that the coast was clear she began to run again. Her shoulder length blonde hair bobbed and her heels clicked with every step she took. Her two crystalline blue eyes were almost glowing in the dark. Her black mask hid her face from the world.

Then, she realized she was close. She was almost to him. She only had to run a little longer…

WHAM!

She felt a sharp pain in her head as she fell to the side. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, and then opened them. He was here.

She rubbed the side of her head and stood back up. She starred at the man in front of her. He just glared back.

The man was tall, about 6 feet. His blonde spiky hair was hard not to notice even in the dark, along with his bright blue eyes, similar to the girl's. He was muscular and tan, like many other men of this era.

He was dressed in typical clothing of the time. Baggy black pants with many zipper pockets. His shirt had no sleeves, but looked all torn and tattered. His belt was studded, but hung to the side and wasn't through any belt loops. His shoes went up to the bottom of his knees. They were large, like combat boots but they buckled. Around his wrists were two metal gauntlets.

"Kazuo…why didn't you just go to them when they found out?" the girl asked, her voice sounded a bit hurt.

"Shut up, Ruri!" the man, Kazuo, snapped at her. "You're a traitor!"

"That has nothing to do with this," Ruri snapped back. She held up her Dao sword, the tip pointing straight at Kazuo. "I really don't want to kill you…"

"Then, don't," Kazuo said in a softer tone this time. "You don't have to."

Ruri closed her eyes and shook her head viciously.

"No, I really do," she said to him. She raced towards him, weapon ready. Kazuo's eyes went wide. He knew he could beat Ruri in brute strength any day, but when it came to fighting against her with that Dao of hers…he was no match.

Ruri brought her arm back and swung her Dao sideways, prepared to decapitate Kazuo. Luckily, for him, though, he brought his arm up just in time to block with one of his gauntlets.

Kazuo went to roundhouse kick Ruri in the jaw, but Ruri dodged by doing a back flip. She landed on her feet, crouched down and pounced back at Kazuo again.

This time she swung her Dao diagonally, trying to cut from the pressure point on his neck, all the way to his hip.

Kazuo blocked her sword again and punched Ruri right in the gut. She keeled over holding onto her stomach and dropping her sword. Kazuo picked her up by the collar, though. He brought her up so their faces were almost touching.

He just stared into her eyes, sadly. She looked back at him.

"Rur…" he said. He pulled down her mask to look at her face. "I love you." Then he closed his eyes and kissed her, softly but passionately on the lips. Only moments went by before his body jolted for a second, and he let go of Ruri.

"I love you too…" Ruri said pushing the dagger that she got from her thigh further into his chest. She let go of the dagger and Kazuo fell to the ground, dead.

Ruri sighed, pulled the dagger from his chest and wiped the blood off. She put it back into its holster that was on her thigh. She looked down at Kazuo, whose eyes were half lidded and glazed over. His whole body didn't move whatsoever.

"I'm sorry…" Ruri whispered to him and then picking up her Dao and sheathing it, she walked away from the murder site.

- - -

Ruri walked up the steps that led to the door of the mansion she lived in. Her father was a very wealthy Japanese man. He owned a top-secret government position. No one in her family, including herself, knew of his job, really. Plus, Ruri and her father didn't talk much, so she never really cared to ask.

But, because of Ruri's father's business is how she got the position she had in the W.W.P.O. She was a high-ranking assassin for the organization. If a Secret was dangerous and needed to be hunted down, Ruri was one of the few that they sent.

Ruri opened the door to her mansion and walked up a large flight of stairs and down a long hallway. Another doorway stood in front of her with another flight of stairs. She walked up the stairs and pushed open the last black door.

This was Ruri's bedroom. Close to everyone but far away from them at the same time. Just how she liked it. Ruri loved her family, of course, it's just her stepmother, Mika, was usually busy with her job and taking care of the mansion even though they had hired house cleaners. Ruri's father, Haruto, was usually busy with his business as well. Toyo and Etsuka, Ruri's older half brother and sister, were always busy with their training in the W.W.O.P. and school work, they never had that much time for family.

Ruri's Oma, (A/n: Oma means Grandma in German if you guys didn't know. Don't worry, it goes along with the story, you just have to wait a bit!) though…she was the best ever. She always told Ruri stories about when she was younger and lived in Germany. She told her stories about days before everything was perfect and everyone was different. Ruri was always so fascinated in these stories. Nowadays things were just so boring, everyone was too much alike, there was nothing to separate people.

Ruri sat down on her bed and took off the belt that held her Dao and the small holster that held her dagger. She put her two weapons on her dresser, then walked into the bathroom that connected to her room. Ruri grimaced when she looked at her face in the mirror. She never realized that she had gotten blood on her face from her last kill.

She turned on the water and began to scrub her face clean, not missing an inch of it, just to make sure no more blood was there. Once she finished, Ruri pulled off the wig that she wore. She shook her head so her true hair color was visible now. Her hair was bright red and short. It was cut to her ears with a longer chunk in the front of the left side of her head. Bangs covered her forehead and stopped a bit below her eyebrows. She brushed her red hair to get all the tangles from the wig out.

Once Ruri finished brushing her hair, she put her face close to the mirror and took a contact out of her right eye. Instead of it being blue, like her left, it was a bright violet color.

Now, Ruri took off her high-heeled boots, part of her uniform for the W.W.P.O. With her boots on she was about 5'8", but without the boots she was only 5'3", her boots gave her a 5 inch boost.

After taking off her boots, Rika slid her black fingerless gloves off along with her mask and set them down next to the sink where she knew she could find them later.

Ruri walked out of her bathroom and into her bedroom. There, she unzipped her fitted long sleeve shirt and pulled it off. Underneath she wore a regular tank black tank top. Then, Ruri peeled off her skintight black pants.

Once she was finished, she flopped down onto her bed wearing only her tank top and underwear. Today really took a lot out of her. She had to kill the man that she had really begun to like.

The two of them met at an underground rave club for Secrets only. They talked and danced and hit it off right away. He was only two years older than she and he was almost finished with high school. Once he finished he wanted to become a marine biologist. His dream would never come true now, and it was all Ruri's fault.

"Shut up, Rur," Ruri told herself. "You had no choice." She put her arms over her head. After a minute she sighed and lay on her back, looking up at her ceiling where a German flag hung.

Ruri was one of the Secrets. An Imperfect child that was never found or killed. She had bright red hair, she was short, her eyes were two different colors, and she was two different ethnicities. Ruri wasn't just Japanese, she was also German. Her father was full Japanese and her real mother was full German. The only thing about Ruri that made her fit the Perfect description was her chest and waist size and that was about it.

It didn't bother Ruri, being a Secret. She knew that every moment in her life she was in danger, but hey, she needed something interesting around her. Everything was so…similar and boring. She couldn't stand it. She wished her world were like how her Oma's was. She wished that everyone was different and had flaws. This place needed some pizzazz.

Ruri rolled over onto her side and looked at her clock. It was 2:40 AM. Everyone in the house was probably sleeping by now. Maybe…

"No," Ruri said to herself. "Last time I almost got caught." She grinned to herself. "I do like the excitement, though. Maybe one more time!"

Ruri jumped off of her bed and ran over to her closet. She pulled out a bright neon green fishnet shirt and threw it on over her black tank top. Then, she grabbed her favorite pair of black baggy pants that had bright green lining, matching her fishnet shirt and put them on.

She ran into the bathroom and took out her eyeliner, and put it on under her eyes in a thick black line. She grabbed her green eye shadow and spread it over her eye lids, making them pop.

Ruri ran out of her room and back down the hundreds of stairs, out the front door, as quickly and quietly as possible. It was warm out so she didn't really need a coat.

Then she sprinted down a few streets, hoping that the W.W.P.O. or the government didn't have any spies out. She was totally out of disguise and if she were caught it would mean death.

Usually, though, spies weren't sent out by her home because of her father's position and how her and her siblings were in the W.W.P.O. They thought that it meant there would hardly be any Secrets running around, but they didn't know that they were terribly wrong.

First of all, they had a Secret working for them, and second, there was a whole underground society of them. They had tons of parties and raves and they sometimes would cause chaos for Perfects. Ruri loved the work they did, it was great. Sometimes she would help, but most of the time she wasn't able because she was working against them.

She realized that what Kazuo had said was right, she really was a traitor, but she never snitched on any of her fellow Secrets. She never would. If she was sent to kill a Secret, she would so her or her family wouldn't get found out or get into any trouble, but she would never tell any Perfects about them.

Finally, Ruri got to her destination. It was a rundown club that looked like it hadn't been touched in years, but Ruri knew otherwise. She walked up to the door and knocked. A hole in the door slid open and she saw a pair of bright blue eyes. 

"Password," the person said, it was a woman. Ruri smiled.

"Flaw," she whispered. The woman behind the door nodded and opened the door for her.

"Nice to see you again, Ruri," she said. The woman had bright blue eyes, like all perfect women, but her hair was jet black and she was only an inch or two taller than Ruri.

"You too, Kaeda," Ruri said, smiling and walking past her. All Secrets got along well with each other here. Ruri knew that if they found out she worked for the W.W.P.O. there would be some problems, but so far no one but Kazuo had known and well…he was gone now. Ruri planned to keep her position private from all the Secrets.

Ruri walked further into the club. Loud music was playing and everyone was dancing and drinking, having the time of their lives. Neon lights shone all over. It was enough to make one dizzy, but Ruri loved it. This was where she belonged.

"Rur!" Ruri heard a familiar almost feminine voice. She looked over and saw one of her best Secret friends, Kanta.

Kanta was tall and very well built, his skin was tan. He had dark brown spiky hair and hazel eyes. He wore baggy blue pants with a white fishnet shirt, showing off his toned body. You would never guess that Kanta was a Secret, unless you knew him well.

Kanta was homosexual. Another thing that sometimes separated Imperfects and Perfects. Usually, though gay Perfects wouldn't be found out until they were much older, and sometimes they were never found out. They stayed as Secrets still, its just no one noticed, and sometimes even they didn't.

"Kanta!" Ruri shouted and hugged her friend.

"Hi, hun, how are you?" he asked. Ruri smiled at him.

"Great, you?" she asked.

"Pretty damn good," Kanta told her and smiled back. "When did you get here?"

"Just a minute ago, I really needed to get away," Ruri told him. Kanta nodded.

"Me too," he told her. "Those damn Perfects get so annoying." Ruri nodded. "Come on, we should dance!"

Before Ruri could react, Kanta grabbed her wrist and pulled her out onto the dance floor. The two danced with each other and their friends all around them. They were having the time of their lives. Techno beats played loudly from the stereo.

When the song ended Kanta and Ruri both stopped dancing. Ruri panted.

"That was so fun!" she shouted to Kanto over everyone's voices and smiled. Kanta nodded in agreement.

"Ok, all you Secrets out there," the DJ said over the mic. "I think it's time for a little rock music!"

Guitar started to play over the stereo now. Ruri recognized the tune.

"I love this song!" she shouted, as the song began.

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Nori: YAY! Done! I know, weird spot to end at, but it has to there for the next chapter to go as planned.

Tama: This fic is really interesting…

Nori: Thanks! And I got three reviews already! Well…two, 'cause you gave me one.

Tama: I like how I don't count.

Nori: KIDDING! I just wanted to thank you guys for reviewing that chapter. It made me feel very happy! THANKIEZZZZ!!!!!!

Tama: I thank you guys, too!

Nori: Keep reading and reviewing! No flames!


	3. Pretty Handsome Awkward

Nori: YAY CHAPTER THREE!

Tama: PARTAYYY!

Nori: Yes, it's always a party when Nori is around.

Tama: Sure…you could say that.

Nori: Anyways, I will be doing the disclaimer today. Ah-hem. I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or the characters or the song Pretty Handsome Awkward by the Used, but I do own all the OC's and ideas. READ!!!!!

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The guitar was loud. Drums in a steady rhythm. The low bass made the room shake.

_Kickin' it out!_

Ruri and Kanta had decided to separate for a while. Kanta had some friends that he wanted to meet up with and Ruri decided to check out the scene. She wanted to see if any new Secrets had come to the club tonight.

_Your dream vacation,_

_Is my hostage refuge,_

_A work in progress,_

_You bleed just like you puke while running a mile!_

She walked through the crowd. Everyone was dancing to the music. Ruri smiled. This was really the place to be.

_Hey, are you ok?_

_You look pretty low!_

_Very handsome awkward._

_Do you feel ok?_

_You look pretty low._

_Very handsome awkward!_

While Ruri walked she would find some of her Secret friends. She'd stop for a moment and dance and talk to them and then continued to walk. She wanted to see if she could find anyone new and interesting, not that her friends weren't.

_Your market value,_

_Your resurrection,_

_Your shallow concept, _

_Help yourself._

_I hope you choke and die!_

Ruri walked, and then finally she found someone that intrigued her. He was closer to the bar and looked kind of wasted. And even though he looked tired and drunk, Ruri still found something attractive about him.

_I know you meant it,_

_Nice fucking disguise, so hallow,_

_Embrace the burn!_

_You bleed just like you puke while running a mile!_

He was tall. Not quite six feet, but close to it. His hair was orange and shaggy. It looked a bit tangled. His skin wasn't tan, but he wasn't pale and it was flawless. His eyes flashed a bright reddish brown color. He was wearing a coat with long pants, but Ruri could tell that he was quite muscular! She walked closer to him.

'_Yea, he's definitely drunk,' _Ruri could smell the alcohol just a few feet away from him. He seemed like he was about to pass out. That didn't stop her from approaching him, though.

_Hey, are you ok?_

_You look pretty low._

_Very handsome awkward!_

_Do you feel ok?_

_You look pretty low._

_Very handsome awkward…_

"Hey," Ruri said, standing next to him at the bar. She smiled. "What's your name? I haven't seen you here before."

"Name's Chase," he slurred a bit. "Never really been known about here before." He yawned, obviously growing tired from the alcohol. Ruri giggled.

_You look pretty low…pretty low…pretty handsome awkward!_

That's when everything started to go crazy. The music cut off, along with the lights and the rest of the clubs power. All the Secrets screamed, wondering what was going on. This wasn't supposed to be happening. Even if there was just a powersurg or something, which rarely happened because of all the technology, the club had many backup generators.

Then a gunshot was heard and a quick flash of light was seen. More shrieks followed.

"Nobody move!" a man's voice came. "You all are under arrest! We know about these underground Secret clubs and gangs!"

"No," Ruri gasped. "The Organization!"

"What?" Chase asked, obviously too drunk to realize what was going on.

"The W.W.P.O.! They're here!" she shouted and grabbed his wrist. "We have to get out of here before they find us!" She began to run through the crowd dragging Chase towards the nearest exit. The club's lights hadn't gone back on yet, but being a skilled member of the W.W.P.O. Ruri had to train her eyes so they were well adapted to the dark.

"Where are we going?" Chase asked Ruri as she pulled him behind her.

"Anywhere but here!" Ruri shouted in a whisper. "Now come on or I'll leave you behind!"

At that remark Chase became a bit more serious. Yes, he was still wasted, but he seemed to understand the danger of what was going on at the moment.

Everyone in the club was running around frantically trying to get away from the Organization, some had a bit of luck and had gotten away already, but others were already shot and dead, lying on the floor. Chase looked around as they ran and saw some of the dead bodies. In the back of his mind he was glad that he was drunk and would hopefully forget these awful sights by tomorrow morning.

Finally, the two reached one of the exits. It was one of the few that was barely being used at the moment. Ruri picked up her pace and held onto Chase's wrist tighter so she wouldn't lose him. She couldn't just let the poor drunk dude die!

Right as they were about to run through the door though, a member of the W.W.P.O. jumped in front of the two. Ruri gasped and quickly covered her face from her nose to her chin. She knew whatever member of the Organization it was would recognize her right away even without her heels, wig, or contact. Most assassins of the W.W.P.O. had photographic memories; Ruri wasn't to that level yet, though.

"This is the end of the line for you two," the girl standing in front of them said. She held a small handgun in each hand. She pointed both of them right at the two and a red dot of light appeared on both Ruri and Chase's foreheads, they were targets.

"You wish," Ruri said, her voice was a bit muffled though from her hand being over most of her face. She let go of Chase's wrist and sprinted towards the girl. Ruri knocked the guns out of her hands, jumped and kicked her right in the face. The girl who worked for the Organization went flying out of their way. Ruri turned around to Chase, her hand still placed firmly over her mouth and nose.

"Come on," she said, motioning her arm for him to follow. He just nodded and ran after her, both running as fast as their legs could carry them away from the club and the Perfection Organization.

- - -

Everything was black. Chase felt like he had been hit in the head with ten thousand bricks, but at the same time his whole body felt warm and comfortable. Especially, on his right side. He wasn't sure why, but his right side felt a hell of a lot more warmer than his left, it was weighed down a bit more, too. It all felt so good though.

He could barely remember anything from the night…or even day before now. Where was he? And why did his head hurt so damn much?

Chase opened his eyes to be blinded by light. This did not help his headache at all. He squinted for a bit until the pain went away and his eyes became more adjusted to the light. Once he could fully see he took in his surroundings.

Chase was in a room painted dark red with hardwood flooring. There was a golden Chinese looking dresser on the other side of the room with a circle mirror to match it handing above. Some clothing items just seemed to be thrown there. He looked to his left and saw two doors. One had artwork painted and drawn all over it and the other was just plain white. Chase had no ideas where the doors led.

Then Chase looked down at himself. He was lying in a queen-sized bed, covered with a plain black comforter. That explained why he was so warm. Then he looked over to his right…to see a girl lying there. She looked young, maybe in her mid to late teens. Her skin was tan and she seemed rather short for average women these days. Her hair was what stood out to him the most. It was bright red and cut short, except for one long chunk of the left side of her head. She explained why he felt that extra weight on his right side.

Chase began to think more. How the hell did he get here? And who the hell was this girl? Why the hell was he in bed with her? Then his eyes went wide.

"Shit," he said out loud. "I hope nothing happened last night!"

His voice must've caused her to wake up because after he said that she began to stir. Ruri sat up and rubbed one of her eyes and stretched. Once she was done she looked down at Chase.

"Chase, I'm glad you're awake," she told him. "How's your head?"

Chase just looked at her in confusion. How did she know his name? Who was she, anyway? He could tell obviously she was a Secret, but how did they meet? What went on between them?

"It hurts…a little," he said slowly, still confused. Ruri smiled and stood up. She was still wearing her clothes from last night.

"That was a close one last night," she told him. "I'm glad we're still alive."

Chase's eyes went wide and he just nodded slowly.

'_What…did we do it that much?' _he asked himself.

"Well, I'm going to go take a shower, I really need one," Ruri said. "Just stay here and after I'll see if my Oma can make us breakfast."

Chase just sat there with wide eyes still and nodded again as Ruri walked away. He was freaking out. He had no idea where he was first of all. He couldn't remember anything that went on last night. He had no clue who the hell that chick was or what they did together. For some reason he really couldn't remember anything from yesterday. He wasn't sure why. And on top of all that he had a horrible migraine.

"What do I do?" he asked aloud to no one in particular. "What _did_ I do is a better question…" He corrected himself.

Chase got out of bed and stretched. He looked out the window. It seemed to be a bright day. There were no clouds in the sky, the sun shone bright. Even though it was such a nice day out, Chase felt like shit. He still had a splitting headache, his legs felt rather sore, he wasn't sure why, and his stomach felt uneasy, partly because he was so nervous to find out what had gone on the previous night.

He walked back to the bed and sat down. He balanced his elbows on his thighs and put his head into his hands. He felt so horrible; he didn't know what he was going to do. If he and that girl did do anything last night…he hoped he had protection. He really didn't need a girl he had sex with getting pregnant right now.

After about ten minutes, the bathroom door opened to reveal Ruri. She was in a new outfit and her hair was damp. She walked over to chase and sat down next to him.

"Want some aspirin?" she asked. He just nodded without looking up. She smiled and walked over to the door. Just as she was about to open it, he stopped her.

"Wait," he said. She looked over at him.

"Yes?" Ruri asked.

"What happened last night? You and I…we didn't…"

Ruri tilted her head to the side in confusion. She had no idea what he was talking about. Then it hit her.

"Whoa no!" she put up her hands. "Nothing like that happened, don't worry. I'll explain after I get you some medicine and I ask my Oma to get us some breakfast, ok?"

Chase nodded and Ruri left the room.

Ruri walked down what felt like ten thousand stairs and through twenty different hallways until she got to the kitchen where she found her Oma, as always.

"Red! You're awake," the old woman said and ran to give her granddaughter a hug.

"Morning Oma," Ruri said and smiled. Her Oma was the only one who called her Red, obviously because of her red hair.

Ruri's Oma was about the same height as her with short curly blonde hair. Her eyes were bright blue and her skin was very pale. The woman was very thin. She seemed so fragile that if you just touched her she would fall apart.

Her name was Adolfina. In German it meant "noble wolf". It was a very fitting name for her, too. When Adolfina was younger she was a wild child, but she was still wise and could compose herself when need be. The elder woman was still like this. She was always known as Ruri's crazy grandma. But, she always looked out for Ruri and she always believed in her.

Ever since Ruri was a baby she looked up to her Oma. She believed everything she had done was great. She loved her so much.

"Oma, can you make me and one of my friends some breakfast?" Ruri asked. "He slept over last night. He's in my room right now, he doesn't feel well."

"Ohhh, had a boy sleep over last night, did we?" Adolfina asked and nudged Ruri's arm. "What's the lucky one's name?"

Ruri rolled her eyes.

"Nothing happened," she told her. "And his name is Chase." Ruri grinned.

"I'll make you two some waffles, is that alright?" Adolfina asked. Ruri nodded and sat down at the kitchen table while her Oma cooked. "So, tell me about this Chase fellow."

Ruri sighed.

"Well, he's really nice and cute, and was, uh, kinda drunk last night," Ruri rubbed the back of her head. Adolfina just laughed.

"You know, that's how me and your Opa met," she told her granddaughter. "We were at a bar, he was wasted, he hit on me a bit, brought him back home, then a couple weeks later we got married."

Ruri shook her head. That was Adolfina for you; she was a very spontaneous woman. She was the only woman that Ruri knew who waited only two weeks after meeting a guy to marry him.

Then Ruri became serious. She had to tell her Oma how Chase was a Secret. She knew that Adolfina wouldn't mind or anything, it just always scared her to say it out in the open where anyone could hear really.

"He's a…" Ruri looked around to make sure they were the only two there at the moment. "Secret, too." She whispered the last part. Adolfina nodded and said nothing more as she cooked.

"There's more…" Ruri said and looked down. She had to tell her Oma what went on last night. She couldn't just keep it to herself; she would feel awful if she did. "Last night, I went to this Secret club…and it got found out by the Organization."

Adolfina immediately stopped what she was doing and turned around. Her eyes were wide.

"They didn't see you, did they?" she asked in a worried tone. Ruri shook her head.

"I don't think so," she said. "They cut off all the power before they came in. One girl tried to stop us from leaving, but before she could recognize me, I covered my face."

Adolfina let out a sigh of relief.

"You need to be more careful, Red," she told her. "I can't lose my only granddaughter."

Ruri looked down, ashamed. She hated worrying her Oma like that, but she couldn't just keep something so important from her. They always told each other everything, and Ruri needed to get that out into the open.

Ding! The timer went off. Adolfina pulled the waffles out of the toaster along with some sausage and two glasses of milk and the handed two plates to Ruri that was on a carrying tray.

"Here you go, sweetie," Adolfina said. "Once you two are finished come back down. I want to meet this Chase guy." She winked at Ruri. Ruri giggled and nodded.

"Thanks, Oma," she said. "We will."

Ruri headed back upstairs but stopped in the bathroom first to grab some aspirin for Chase's headache. She walked all the way back up to her room and opened the door where she saw Chase laying face down on her bed. Ruri giggled at him, he looked kind of funny like that.

Chase looked up and saw that she was back with a tray of food.

"Hungry?" Ruri asked. Chase nodded and sat up. Ruri set the tray down and took a plate for herself. Chase did as well. The two ate in silence and Chase took the medicine that Ruri had gotten him.

After about fifteen minutes Ruri broke the silence.

"Feel a little better, yet?" she asked. Chase nodded again.

"A lot," he told her. "Thank you."

Ruri smiled.

"It's no big deal," she told him. "Do you remember anything that happened last night?" Chase shook his head.

"No, I have no idea what happened throughout the whole day pretty much," he told her. "Do you know why I can't remember anything?"

"Well, you were pretty wasted last night," Ruri said. "I met you at this Secret bar and…"

Ruri began to explain everything to Chase. How they met. What happened with the W.W.P.O. How they just escaped the club last night. Things like that.

"And that's about it," she finished her story. Chase just stared at her.

"Wow…" he said. "We barely made it out of that place." Ruri nodded. "I'm so glad you were there, I would be dead now if it weren't for you."

Ruri smiled.

"You would've made it out," she told him. "If you weren't so drunk." The two laughed. After a minute of laughter Chase and Ruri both heard a crash from downstairs. Both jumped to their feet, immediately alert.

"What was that?" Chase asked.

"I'm not sure," Ruri said. "No one but my Oma is home right now, this can't be good."

Ruri ran over to her dresser and grabbed her Dao and sprinted out of the room. Chase followed her as quickly as he could. He was still suffering a bit from his hangover. Ruri was running so fast, he couldn't keep up. Then, she turned the corner and disappeared.

Chase turned the corner a few seconds after her and wasn't paying attention and ran right into her back. He walked next to her, looking down into her eyes. He noticed how wide they were, filled with shock and fear. Chase looked straight ahead and saw that the whole entrance to the mansion was blown apart.

"What happened?" he asked her in astonishment.

"I-I-I I don't know," Ruri stuttered. "But, I think I have an idea."

Ruri ran from the entrance to the kitchen. Her Dao was still in hand, just in case she needed it. She heard the heavy footsteps of Chase following behind her. She knew he was still tired from his hangover, but she had to get to her Oma, before anything bad happened.

Ruri burst through the kitchen doors to see a scene that horrified her. Five people cornered her Oma. Five assassins that worked for the W.W.P.O. She saw that Adolfina was crying and begging them to leave and telling them that she knew nothing, but they were too persistent and stayed surrounding her.

At the sound of the doors opening each of the assassins turned around. Ruri's blue and violet eyes went wide. Each assassin wore a mask covering their faces, but she could recognize all of them just by seeing their eyes.

One of them was her friend that worked for the W.W.P.O. She was a Perfect, but nicer than the others. The girl was the same rank and Ruri and they had known each other since they were little. She was one of the few that Ruri really cared for and trusted. Her name was Riana Sumoyo.

The other three were people that she became friends with but they weren't that close. They all still looked out for each other, but they never hung out outside of the Organization. Their names were Kuroko, Ryuo, and Yuhi.

The last that Ruri could easily recognize was Etsu Mina. She was her stepsister and a total bitch. If it weren't for Ruri's father, Etsu would've ratted Ruri out years ago. She couldn't stand Ruri and Ruri couldn't stand her. Her half brother was the only one that kept the two from killing each other.

Chase finally caught up to Ruri and stood, leaning on the doorway for support, panting. He looked up and saw the Organization.

"What's going on?" Chase asked, fear dripped from his words.

"R-Ruri?" Riana asked. And stepped closer to her friend. She could easily recognize Ruri without her disguise on. "Please tell me you're just dressing up for some party. Please tell me that everyone is lying, you really aren't a Secret…right?"

Ruri stood her ground and glared at the five assassins. Chase stood beside her still panting, but ready to fight if he needed to.

"Get away from my Oma, now," Ruri ordered. "All of you."

"Red, get out," Adolfina shouted through her tears. "They'll kill you!"

Etsu looked from Adolfina to her stepsister and laughed.

"We finally got you, Ruri," she said. "After all these years of hiding, the Organization finally found you out!"

"Shut up, Etsu!" Ruri shouted.

Etsu stopped laughing and stomped over to her. She picked up Ruri by her collar and glared at her. Ruri just glared back.

"You have no right to talk to me like that," she said in a venomous tone. "I'm older than you and I outrank you. Plus, you are a Secret, and I am a perfect. Everything about me is better than you."

Etsu dropped her and continued to glare.

"Kill her," was all she said without breaking her gaze. None of the Organization behind her moved. Etsu looked back at them. Each one looked scared and reluctant. "Do as I command, now! Or it will be you who end up dead!" she shouted.

Ruri looked back at them and saw that they were about to move. She gasped and ran out of the room, past Chase, who just stood there. Etsu smiled at the man and then he began to run.

Ruri looked back at him and saw that he was following her. She smiled; maybe they would both be able to get out of this alive. Ruri continued to run. She knew where she had to go. She needed to go into the basement to the time machine that her dad invented. He told her that if he was ever not home and the W.W.P.O. found out about her true identity to run to the time machine and leave this era. Only she and him were the ones who knew how to control the machine, so that if the Organization did find out, they wouldn't be able to track her.

Etsu walked out into the hallway and saw her team chasing after her stepsister and her friend.

"They're heading for the basement," she shouted. "Stop them before they get to the time machine!" She looked back at Adolfina. "As for you…" she said and stepped closer.

Ruri kept running as fast as she could. She was beginning to get a bit tired, but she wasn't anywhere close to running out of energy. Then, she heard the sound of something moving through the air towards her and it was fast.

She spun around and glided across the floor from all the momentum she built up, to see what it was. Ruri saw a small poisonous dart heading straight for her. She unsheathed her Dao and swung at the dart right when it was about to hit her. Then, behind it she saw five-pronged shuriken being thrown. Her eyes went wide and she built up even more speed. She dodged them by running and jumping; she put one of her feet onto the wall and pushed off, propelling herself to the other side of the hallway. All the shuriken hit the wall that she pushed off of and exploded, causing Ruri to be flung further down the hall.

Ruri landed on her hands and knees. She heard Chase's footsteps behind her again. She turned around and saw his figure through the smoke running towards her, along with four more behind him. She gasped and stood up and began to run again.

After a couple more minutes of running, she finally reached her destination. She was at the basement. She flung the door open and ran down the steps. There were so many and they swirled, kind of like something you would see in a castle. It took a few more minutes of running down stairs until she reached the time machine.

It was large and filled up the whole room. There were so many computer screens, buttons, knobs, anything you could think of. There was a large cylindrical tube that could fit about two people at the furthest end of the room.

She ran over to the machine and began to press all the buttons that she was instructed to. She had to get it ready to go before the assassins got down there. She ran over to the dial that had all the era's she could go to. Right now she didn't care what era she went to as long as it wasn't this one, so she just spun the dial and stopped it. Without even looking at where it landed she hit the final button and ran over to the tube that she had to stand in. She waited a moment; she needed to get Chase out of there, too. But, where was he?

That's when she heard his footsteps coming down the stairs; she could tell though that her friends from the W.W.P.O. were right behind him. There was no time to get him in there. She had to activate the machine.

Right when she was about to pull the lever to activate the machine, Chase turned the corner from the stairs.

"Wait!" he shouted.

"Chase, there's no time!" Ruri yelled to him. "I need to go."

"I know," he said to her. "First, I need to know your name! I wanted to thank you for everything, but I don't even know your name!"

Ruri just looked at him.

"It's Ruri," she called to him. Riana, Kuroko, Ryuo, and Yuhi were just coming into the basement. "Ruri Himura!"

Then, she pulled the lever and disappeared from the room into a whole different time period.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Nori: Ohhh, what's this? Doesn't that last name sound familiar?

Tama: You're retarded, and holy shit this chapter is long.

Nori: Yea I know, I needed to make up for lost ground.

Tama: Whatever that means. Read and review please!

Nori: No flames!


	4. The Mysterious Girl

Nori: You know, I'm not even sure of what chapter I'm on now. So I will just do the disclaimer! I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of the characters but I do own all the OC's and ideas! READ!

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"Sano, hold still, I need to fix that hand," a woman demanded to the man who's hand she held. "This is the fourth time you've broken it, now!"

The man just looked away from her.

"Are you even listening to, me? Sano!" the woman shouted to him. He looked up.

"Yea, I'm listening, can you stop being so bossy?" he said. "Ow! That hurt!" he pulled his hand away.

The woman glared at him and held out her hand.

"Sanosuke," she said in a tone only a mother would use towards her child. Sano rolled his eyes and held his hand out to the woman again. She began to finish bandaging it up. "You do realize that if you break your hand this badly anymore it might need to be amputated, don't you?"

Sano didn't answer her. He just sat there until finally she said,

"There, finished. Don't use that hand for anything for about five days, ok?"

"Yea," Sano sighed. "Thanks, Megumi." He stood up and walked out of the room where Megumi had bandaged his hand. He walked down a few long hallways and into the kitchen where another woman, younger than Megumi sat cooking. A boy was with her, too.

"Hey Sano!" the boy shouted. "How's your hand doing? Did Megumi fix it for you?"

"Yea, it's fine," Sanosuke told him. "I just can't use it for a few days." He took a whiff of the air and smelled something burning. "Great, the little missy here is cooking again?" he said sarcastically.

"I heard that, Sanosuke!" the girl bending over a pot straightened and glared at Sanosuke. She had a wooden spoon in her hand that was still wet and steaming from the boiling water. She glared at the tall man.

"Haha, yea, Kenshin said that he had to run some errands so Kaoru has to cook," the boy told Sanosuke. "I guess we should all plan on puking later tonight."

"Yahiko!" Kaoru shouted and chased after the boy with her wooden spoon still in hand. Yahiko ran away from the crazed teen while managing to still laugh his head off. Sanosuke just chuckled at how immature the two could be sometimes. But, then, who was he to talk? He insulted the girl all the time. He just smiled and shook his head.

Sano turned and walked out of the kitchen, then out of the whole Kamiya Dojo. He took a deep breath in, savoring the fresh air. He began to walk off the dojo's grounds and into town.

Sano looked up and noticed the dark clouds; the air was thick with the smell of rain. This didn't bother him, though. The rain was always so calming and relaxing. He loved it, even though he wouldn't admit it to any of his friends. Sanosuke was the type of guy who always put up this tough front. He would always pick fights, even if he knew he would lose in the end.

At the same time, though, again not wanting to admit it, but still, everyone knew that Sano was caring. He would do anything to protect the ones he really loved. In the past he had even come close to death making sure that his friends were safe.

He kept walking at a steady pace through town. Hardly anyone was on the streets, probably because of the coming rain. This didn't bother Sanosuke, he hated walking through crowds of people, it annoyed him to no end.

Drip. Drip.

Sano flinched when he felt a raindrop land on his nose. He looked up at the sky again. It had begun to sprinkle. He smiled. The small drops of rain landing on his skin in the hot weather felt so good.

He continued to walk. He headed for the small forest that was to the east of the dojo. It was the perfect place to train in weather like this. If it began to pour the trees would block enough of the rain out so he wouldn't slip, but let enough through to keep him cooled off.

Sano made it to the woods. He walked through the bushes and trees to his favorite training spot. It was a small clearing, trees surrounding it in an almost perfect circle. There was a pond with a little water fall at the end too. The water was clear and clean, a perfect spot to drink.

He smiled and lay on the ground on his stomach with his hands right next to his chest. With his back as straight as a board he began doing push ups.

"Screw what Megumi told me about my hand," he said to himself. "It feels fine."

He did hundreds of push ups, nonstop. By the time he felt he was finished he hadn't even broke a sweat. His breathing was still normal.

Then he lay on his back and began to do sit ups. Every time he sat up he would punch twice. He did as many sit ups as he did push ups. When was finished he jumped to his feet. He was soaking wet from the rain and his own sweat.

But, the push ups and sit ups were just a warm up for Sano. He walked over to one of the trees that surrounded the clearing. He began to punch the tree with all his strength. Bits of bark flew everywhere each punch he did. After awhile, though, his bandaged hand began to throb. He winced a bit in pain and stopped to look at it.

The bandages were soaked so he peeled them off. His knuckles were bloody and swollen. Sano knew they would begin to bruise soon, but he didn't care. He needed to toughen up his hand so it wouldn't keep breaking.

Sano just threw the bandages to the side. His white shirt with the symbol for "bad" on it was getting soaked and it began to stick to his toned chest. He took it off and threw it where the bandages were. Then, he went back to his training. Without the wrappings on his hand it hurt even more, but he still pushed himself through it all.

Once he felt he was done with his upper body training, he began to train his legs. He started by throwing simple roundhouse kicks to the same tree he was punching a few minutes ago. (A/n: That poor tree is really getting abused…)

As Sanosuke was training his legs, he heard a shriek from a far off distance in the forest. He stopped kicking the tree and looked around. He tried to figure out where the scream had come from. He could definitely tell it was a female's voice, but who and where were they?

Sano just shook his head, water dripped everywhere. The rain was coming down harder, now. Maybe it was just a bird or some other animal. He went back to kicking the tree. This time he used combinations. He would roundhouse kick, into back kick, into side kick, into three point punches.

Just as he was about to start another technique he heard the scream again. It seemed to be the same voice but this time it wasn't as high pitched. It was more like a lower grunt as if whoever it was just attacked someone. The voice seemed closer and was followed by more yelling. Now, Sano knew for sure he wasn't just hearing things.

The voices got even closer until Sanosuke heard footsteps behind him. He spun around just in time to see a young girl with flaming red hair carrying a Dao sword with a red hilt to match her hair jump down from the waterfall into the small pond. She trudged through the water as fast as she could.

The girl turned and looked back. Right when she did two huge men jumped into the pond where she was. The men seemed to be after her for some reason. The girl jumped out of the water and spun to face her two attackers.

"What do you want!?" she shouted. "Why are you following me?" She held her sword out in front of her.

"You're not from here! You're a spy of the government!" one of the men shouted. He was tall and overly muscular. It looked like he could crush anything by just touching it. His hair was dark brown and spiky, his eyes were the same color.

"I told you! I'm not from here but I have nothing to do with your stupid government!" the girl shouted back at them. She glared at the two.

Sano's eyes went wide. He saw that her eyes were two different colors. One bright blue, the other violet. He had never seen anyone like her in his life. She was so unique. Where did this girl come from? She was tan and short, like many Asians, but her eyes. Their color and shape, they were nothing like the people from Japan.

"Look at the way you dress. And your hair and eyes, how can you not be working for the government?" the other man shouted.

He was more stupid looking than the first and much smaller. He was still large enough to crush the girl, though. His teeth were a disgusting yellow, and his eyes were grey. His hair was shoulder length and a greenish brown color. He wore a white strip of fabric around his neck.

Sano looked back over at the girl. He was so entranced in her eyes that he never noticed her clothes or how beat up she looked. The girl wore an orange tank top with a studded black belt around her waist hung to the side a bit. The clothes on her legs were in between pants and shorts. They were black and baggy and stopped just below her knees. She was barefoot and her feet looked tired and sore from running through these woods.

That's when the girl looked over at Sano. She squinted her eyes in confusion, as if she wasn't sure how he got there.

"Don't tell me you're with them, too," she groaned. "I might be able to take on those two at once, but I know I'm done for with three against one!"

Sano just stared at her for a moment. Entranced by her eyes, again. He snapped out of it, though and shook his head.

"N-no, I don't know these thugs," he said. "But I can help in getting rid of them for you."

The girl just looked at Sano and smirked. She nodded.

"That'd be great," she said and turned back to the men just in time to block an attack from the man with the greenish brown hair. While Sano and the girl weren't paying attention he had pulled a dagger out and went to attack while she was off guard. Luckily, though she was quick and used her sword to block and push the man back.

Sano ran over to her and stood next to her. His fists were clenched and ready for this fight. His shirt was still off and his skin shimmered from the sweat and rain water. The other larger man rushed towards Sanosuke. This man had no weapon, which didn't surprise Sano. He didn't need one because of his massive size. He went to kick Sanosuke but he blocked and countered with a punch of his own. The hit connected with the man's jaw. It knocked him back a bit but wasn't enough to count him out for this fight. He ran back towards Sano and punched him full force in the gut.

Sano keeled over for a moment and coughed. He glared up at the thug and hit him with a back fist to the temple. The hit was hard and moved the man to the side more. This gave Sano a chance to back up.

The man's eyes glazed over for a second but he just shook it off. He glared over at Sano, who just glared right back. He shifted his eyes to the side for a second to see how the girl was doing with the other thug. She seemed to be holding her own pretty well, Sano was impressed.

But, during that short period of time he looked over the man he was fighting pulled out a dagger of his own. He came charging towards Sanosuke, ready to kill.

Sano looked back at him and moved to the side, dodging the blade. Sano then elbowed the man in the arm, causing him to drop his weapon and fall forward. Sanosuke then took this chance to kick him right in the back of the neck, full force. The man went flying across the clearing and landed face first into a tree. He fell back with a loud thud and lay on the ground unconscious. Sano smirked.

"Serves him right," he said aloud.

He looked back over at the girl with bright red hair and saw that the man she was fighting lay unconscious as well. She stood over him with her hands on her hips. Her Dao was sheathed. She turned her head to Sano.

She stared at him for a moment, taking in his appearance. He was very tall. Well over six feet. His hair was brown and seemed to defy all laws of gravity, his eyes were chocolate brown. Around his forehead he wore a red headband. At the moment he had his shirt off so she could see his well toned chest and arms. His pants were white and under them he wore white wrappings. His shoes were just plain black.

"Thanks," she said once she finished looking him over. She turned and walked away from him.

"Wait!" Sano called, grabbing his shirt and running over to her. She looked at him.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Who are you?" was all Sano said.

"Uh, I, um…" the girl picked up her pace as she walked through the woods but Sano easily kept up. "Um, no one."

"No one?" Sano asked. "Just tell me your name."

"Why don't you tell me your name first," she retorted.

"I asked first," he said.

"So," the girl said and smiled. "I won't tell you my name until you tell me yours." She stopped walking and folded her arms over her chest.

Sano narrowed his eyes at her, and then sighed. This was going nowhere. He might as well just tell her his name and then maybe he could get some information out of her.

"I'm Sagara Sanosuke," he told her. "There, happy? Now tell me your name. And about those weird clothes you're wearing."

Now the girl glared at Sano. How dare he insult her clothing!

"Hey! Shut up!" she shouted at him, her arms at her sides now, hands clenched into fists. She stood on her tip toes to attempt to get into his face, but she failed miserably being as short as she was. "You're calling my clothes weird? Look at yours! Weirder! And so is that name ya got."

"Don't you dare insult my name!" Sano shouted back bending down to her level so he was able to get in her face. "I'm named after the great leader of the Sekihoutai!"

The girl's face turned from anger to a softer expression. She stood normal now.

"Sekihoutai?" she repeated. "What's that?"

"How could you have not heard about the Sekihoutai?" Sano stepped back from the girl. "The lies about the army spread all across Japan." He shook his head. "We were a joke."

"What lies?" the mysterious girl asked.

"You know, girlie, I should be the one asking the questions here," Sano snapped at her. "You were the one who barged in on my training session."

"But you were the one who offered to help me," she smirked. Sano glared at her, yet again, and grit his teeth. How did she always know what to say back?

"Just tell me. What's your name? That's all I want to know, then I'll gladly leave you alone!" Sano said through his teeth.

"It's Ruri," was all she said. She turned and walked away.

"Ruri…" Sano smiled. "I've never met a girl like her." Then he turned and walked the other way, back to the Kamiya Dojo.

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Nori: DONE! OH MY GOD! IM SORRY I WAITED THIS LONG TO UPDATE!

Tama: Good job! Makin' people wait like that.

Nori: You're one to talk! But, I have an excuse, with Christmas and school and my brother and we just got a new computer, I didn't have time to update everything! But never fear! Updates for all my fics will definitely be up soon! IM SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT!!

Tama: Read and review please!

Nori: NO FLAMES!


	5. A Job and Some Information

Nori: Chapter five here we go!

Tama: Disclaimer time?

Nori: YES! Hm, who should we pick?

Tama: (thinking)

Nori: SHISHI-OH!

Shishi-oh: Why me?

Nori: DO IT!

Shishi-oh: Uh, Noriko doesn't own Rurouni Kenshin or the characters but she does own all the OC's and ideas.

Nori: READ TIME!

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A few hours had passed since Ruri had met the man who helped her in the woods. She was thankful that he helped her, but at the same time glad she got away when he did. For some reason he had irritated her in the short time of her knowing him. She probably wouldn't have to see him anymore, though. Thank Kami.

Ruri now was now walking up to a small town. That wasn't good. Right now she really wouldn't fit in because of her clothes. She stopped and thought for a moment.

'_Damn, I have no money and I can't just go in there looking like this,'_ she thought. Then, an idea hit her. She smirked and jumped on top of the nearest building. She ran as quickly and quietly as possible so no one on the streets below noticed her. She stopped when she came to a dark alley way and jumped down into it. She hid in the shadows watching everyone walk by, waiting for the opportune moment. 

Then a young woman, a bit older than Ruri, but the same size as her, walked by. She carried a bag slung over one shoulder.

"Wait for it," Ruri whispered. She waited a couple seconds longer until the woman got in the perfect position and Ruri reached out and grabbed her by the back of the collar and put a hand over her mouth. The woman squeaked but Ruri knocked her out by hitting the pressure point on her shoulder right near her neck. "Sorry," she whispered to the woman.

Ruri quickly stole the plain black kimono and light blue obi that the woman was wearing and put them on herself. Ruri decided to hide her blade so she used a piece of fabric that she ripped from the bottom of the kimono and tied her Dao to her leg. She saw the bag that the woman had and decided it would be perfect to hold her clothes that she was previously wearing. 

Once her clothes were in the bag she quickly left the alley and began to walk through the streets. They were very crowded. Full of people shopping and going out for dinner. Then it hit Ruri. The sun was going down, it was almost night time. She really needed to find a place to stay before dark.

She walked keeping her eyes to the ground. She also remembered that she didn't have her contacts in. People would easily be able to tell that her eyes were two different colors. Ruri didn't need to attract any attention to herself as much as possible. But, she would look up every once in awhile to look for some type of hotel or inn or even apartment. Maybe some place would let her stay for the night if she worked off the pay.

Then she walked up to a restaurant. She looked up at the sign and read The Akabeko. Ruri sniffed the air. She could smell the food cooking inside, everything smelled so delicious.

Then, her stomach growled. Ruri groaned.

"Man, I wish I had some cash," she said to herself. She sighed and walked into the restaurant and took a seat at one of the empty tables. She sat and looked around watching the few waitresses bustling around getting peoples orders and people sitting at the tables talking amongst each other.

Ruri began to think to herself. She still wondered what time period she was in. She obviously knew she was still in Japan but she had no idea what year or even what town or city she was in. By the way people were dressed and the lack of technology Ruri guessed she was pretty far back in time.

"Hello, what can I get for you?" a woman's voice broke Ruri out of her thoughts. She looked up at her. The woman was taller than Ruri and had a southern accent. She wore a kimono with an apron over it. She had brown eyes and hair which she kept up in a bun so it wouldn't get in her way. 

"Oh, uh, nothing," Ruri said. "I'm kinda broke right now," she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. The waitress smiled.

"Well, we're looking for more waitresses," the woman told Ruri. "There are only two of us working now. We could hire you."

Ruri's face brightened up. She smiled and nodded.

"That'd be great! Thank you so much," she said and bowed her head. The waitress smiled back.

"I should thank you," she said. "Having only two people working here gets so hectic. Having you around will be a big help." Ruri nodded. Then the waitress gasped. "Oh, I'm sorry I forgot to even introduce myself. I'm Tae, what's your name?"

"It's Ruri," Ruri told Tae. "Nice to meet you." The two girls smiled. "When can I get started on work?"

"Right away," Tae said. "Follow me." Tae led Ruri back into the kitchen where she gave her a new working outfit and showed her around a bit. She told her how to act towards impatient or rude customers and a few other pointers on waitressing.

Once Tae finished giving Ruri tips about waitressing and the whole tour they walked out into the restaurant. There were very few people sitting there now and the few sitting were just about to leave. Tae thought for a moment.

"Oh! I forgot! The restaurant closes now," she looked to Ruri. "You can head home for the night, Ruri. But, come back bright and early, alright?"

Ruri nodded reluctantly, knowing she had no place to stay.

"I'll help close up," she told Tae. Tae smiled.

"Thank you, but really it's alright," she said. "I can do it myself. You go home and get some rest."

Ruri nodded again and left the restaurant. By now it was totally dark out. The only light on the streets was the moon. Ruri walked slowly, thinking about where she could stay for the night.

"I guess if I have to I can just climb into a tree and fall asleep," she said to herself. "It would be a little risky if those two huge dudes who attacked me came around again, but I would be able to hear them. Plus they're too big to climb a tree." Ruri giggled to herself and walked towards the woods again.

Once she reached the forest she looked up at the first tree she came to. She decided that this would have to do because it was the closest to town. It was a good tree to sleep in though because the trunk and branches were thick for her to climb and sit on and there were many leaves so she wouldn't be visible to anyone below her.

Ruri jumped up into the tree and settled herself down onto a branch that was big enough to support her. She hung her bag with her original clothes on the branch above her. She decided to keep her Dao on her leg just incase someone did attack her again.

Ruri sighed and laid her back against the tree trunk. She knew that she was barely going to get any sleep that night, but she thought she might as well try to. A lot had gone on that day, it was almost unreal. She just wanted it all to be a dream that she would wake up from right at that second. 

She missed her Oma, Toyo, her step brother, and her father so much. She hoped they were alright. They could've been hurt or, even worse, killed by the W.W.P.O. and it would be all her fault. Ruri shuddered at the thought of her family being hurt because of her.

Suddenly, Ruri heard a noise below her. Her back stiffened and the hairs on her neck stood up. She sat still and silent, hoping it was just an animal passing by or someone on their way home from work. They wouldn't see or hear her, so then they wouldn't bother her.

"Ruri," she heard a familiar voice whisper. "Ruri, I know you're here. Show yourself."

Ruri's face brightened. She knew that voice! And it was such a relief to hear it.

"Dad!" she shouted and jumped down from the tree and landed right in front of her father. She smiled and hugged him. Ruri's father smiled and hugged her back.

Her father was very tall, around 6'2". He had shaggy black hair that was tied back into a ponytail. His features were dark and rugged. He had light brown eyes. His eyes seemed very tired.

"Ruri, I cannot stay long," her father said, getting straight to business. "I'm only here to give you some information and supplies that you might need." Ruri nodded and became serious and business-like; she usually had to be like this when she was working for the W.W.P.O.

"What's going on back home? Do you know what time period we're even in?" Ruri asked, "I heard a man say something about a war, and working for the government and something about the Sekihoutai army. I've never heard about those things though, not even in history class."

"Listen, Ruri, stop with the questions," Haruto told her, sternly. "Right now you are in the 11th year of the Meiji Era. This is the era that the Japanese government was beginning to westernize. There are going to be many people against this change though, especially the samurai. So, if you see anyone that has some sort of weapon, be on guard and don't underestimate them."

Ruri nodded. "Ok," she told her father.

"Also, keep your weapon hidden at all times," he said. "If anyone sees your Dao, you could be in trouble. You could be arrested or beat or even killed. The police force is very corrupt. Don't attack anyone either, wait to see if they are a threat, then draw your weapon. Do you understand me, Rur?"

"Yes, dad," Ruri said. Haruto nodded in approval.

"I've brought you some supplies," he said pulling a few items out of a bag that he had on his back. "I brought your laptop, just in case you need to look up any information about this time. I've updated it with lost information that I re-discovered. I brought you some old Japanese money, as well, but I'm still not sure how long you will be staying here so make sure you get a job that will give you enough money for food and a place to stay, alright?"

Ruri nodded again.

"Good," he said. "Do you have any questions?"

"How is everyone?" Ruri asked without any hesitation. She just had to make sure her family was alright, except Etsu, should could care less about her. 

Ruri's father looked down and sighed. Ruri tensed. What was he going to say? Please, just let them be all right!

"Your grandmother has been put in the W.W.P.O. prison for now," he told her. "Toyo and Etsu-Mina are both fine though."

Ruri's eyes went wide.

"What?" She shouted. "Why? What? How? Why is Oma in jail?"

"She's in there for keeping you secret and not cooperating with W.W.O.P. officials," Haruto said.

"No! That's no fair! It was stupid Etsuka who threw her in jail! It's just because she hates me and wants to make me as miserable as possible!" Ruri shouted at her father. (A/n: On a little side note I just wanted to say that Etsu has two names, her family either calls her Etsuka or Etsu-Mina, in the future, some people have two first names. Forgot to add that!)

"Rur, shh," Haruto hushed his daughter. "She isn't trying to make you miserable. It's just that people found out and the word spread. I'm trying to do all I can in my power to get her out of the prison but so far nothing is working. The head officials are beginning to think I'm rebelling against the Organization. If I protest too much, then I will be in the same position as your Oma, and I will be of no use to either of you, then."

Ruri looked down in defeat. Haruto was right. If he was thrown in prison, then this whole situation would be ten times worse. She sighed.

"Thank you for trying, daddy," she said and hugged him again. Right then Ruri just wanted to curl up into a ball and cry. This was such a mess and she caused it. Things would be so much better if she was just born as a Perfect.

"Anything for my youngest daughter," he said and smiled down at the red-headed girl. "Well, I must be going. Toyo is watching the machine for me right now, if I'm gone too long he might think that something has gone wrong."

"Ok, I love you," Ruri said, stepping back from her father. He smiled again.

"I love you, too, Rur," he said and ruffled her hair. "The next time you'll be hearing from me will be through video mail on the laptop." He handed her the bag of supplies. "Anytime you can, check to see if there is a message. I'll see you soon." Haruto turned and ran in the opposite direction back to the specific spot he needed to be so he could be sent back to his home time period.

Ruri sighed. She was alone again. Well, at least she had a job, so there was one thing she didn't need to worry about. And now she had money! She could get some real food tomorrow and maybe another change of clothes from this time. And maybe that waitress, Tae, she was nice, maybe the two would become friends over time. At least then she would have someone to talk to.

Ruri shrugged then yawned.

"Oh, well, can't predict the future," she said. Then she giggled. "Well, kinda." With that last statement she jumped back up into the tree with her new supplies and fell asleep. The next day she would need to get up early for her first day of waitressing.

---

The next day at work had been so hectic for Ruri. She never knew that waitressing could be such a hard job. At first it wasn't too bad, but then the lunch rush came in. So many people were there, many were men and sometimes they were drunk. Ruri quickly realized even in the past that when men had too much alcohol they were assholes.

Ruri stood back in the kitchen. She sighed. She needed to take a break.

"Ruri! There's a customer waiting at table three!" she heard Tae call her. Ruri groaned and walked to the table. Once she got to the table she stopped and stared at the man sitting there in disbelief. He looked back up at her in the same manor.

The man had long, flaming red hair tied back into a low ponytail. He was small and a bit scrawny. He wore a light purple shirt and baggy white samurai pants. A reverse sword was attached to his belt. He also had bright violet eyes…the same exact eyes that Ruri had only one of.

"Uh…um, hi, I'm Ruri, what can I get for you?" Ruri said reluctantly. She was amazed at the similarities between her and this man.

"Err, this one would just like a cup of herbal tea and a bowl of white rice," the man said politely. "Please."

"Yes," Ruri bowed. "I'll be right back with that."

Ruri walked back into the kitchen and got what the man ordered. She brought it to his table and set it down.

"Enjoy," she said and quickly walked away. It kind of freaked her out to see that man. It was almost like looking at the male version of herself. Ruri walked over to Tae. "Tae," she tapped her on the shoulder. The brunette turned around and smiled.

"Yes, Ruri?" she said.

"Who is that man at table three?" she asked, and subtly pointed in his direction.

"Oh, that's Kenshin," Tae said once she noticed who she was talking about. "He lives in the Kamiya Dojo in town. He and his friends come here often."

"Kenshin?" Ruri asked. Tae nodded. Ruri walked back out into the restaurant. She wanted to sit down and have a talk with this man. He seemed interesting and plus she wanted to find out why he carried a sword. She remembered what her father told her last night about being careful around people with weapons since they were outlawed, but he just looked so much like her. She wanted to find out some more information about him.

Ruri walked over to table three, but once she got there she saw that Kenshin had already left. The cup of tea and bowl of rice were both empty and there was some money lying on the table. Ruri picked it up and looked down at the rice and tea in amazement.

"Man, he eats fast." 

- - - - - - - -

Nori: Yay! Done, that took awhile too…

Tama: That's ok.

Nori: Yes yes, well please read and review! No flames!


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